Growth Performance of Grasscutters (Thryonomys Swinderianus) in Captivity Fed on Pelleted Forage and Cassava Tubers with the Peel in Ghana

It was also observed that it would cost GHȻ 21.70 for one kilogram weight gain feeding the grasscutter with Elephant grass whilst with the pelleted feed it would cost GHȻ 9.83 and GHȻ 6.85 for ration 1 and   ration 2 respectively feeding the grasscutter. Grasscutter farmers in Ghana are encouraged to feed their grasscutters with pelleted combination of Elephant grass, gliricidia leaves and cassava with the peel  with either urea or soy meal with other commercial ingredient as complete diets for sustainable grasscutter production in Ghana and countries south of the  sub-Saharan region . The study was to investigate the growth performance and quality of the meat of grasscutters in captivity fed on two pelleted diets made of Elephant grass, gliricidia leaves and cassava with the peel with urea as ration 1 and with soy bean meal as ration 2. The control was feeding with only Elephant grass. Feed intake, feed wastage, weight gain were measured and feed conversion ratio was calculated.  Feed intake and feed conversion ration were not significantly different at P> 0.05. Although the feed intake of the experimental animals was low on the pelleted feed their growth rate was numerically higher as compared to those fed on the Elephant grass ( Pennisetum purpurenum) only. The final body weight of the animals fed on the pelleted feed were not significantly different but were significantly different to those fed on the control feed p>0.05. Grasscutters are noted for their feed wastage, in the study feed wastage of the three rations were significantly different p>0.05.with the control feed recording the highest feed wastage. The dressing percentage of carcass  as well as the protein content of the meat of the animal fed on the pelleted diets were not significantly different but were significantly different to those of the control ( p>0.05).

In silico structural study of random amino acid sequence proteins not present in nature

The three-dimensional structures of a set of 'never born proteins' (NBP, random amino acid sequence proteins with no significant homology with known proteins) were predicted using two methods: Rosetta and the one based on the 'fuzzy-oil-drop' (FOD) model. More than 3000 different random amino acid sequences have been generated, filtered against the non redundant protein sequence data base, to remove sequences with significant homology with known proteins, and subjected to three-dimensional structure prediction. Comparison between Rosetta and FOD predictions allowed to select the ten top (highest structural similarity) and the ten bottom (the lowest structural similarity) structures from the ranking list organized according to the RMS-D value. The selected structures were taken for detailed analysis to define the scale of structural accordance and discrepancy between the two methods. The structural similarity measurements revealed discrepancies between structures generated on the basis of the two methods. Their potential biological function appeared to be quite different as well. The ten bottom structures appeared to be 'unfoldable' for the FOD model. Some aspects of the general characteristics of the NBPs are also discussed. The calculations were performed on the EUChinaGRID grid platform to test the performance of this infrastructure for massive protein structure predictions. © 2009 Verlag Helvetica Chimica Acta AG. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Reaxys Database Information

Vardenafil improves erectile function in men with erectile dysfunction irrespective of disease severity and disease classification

Background. Vardenafil (Levitra\uae) is a potent and selective phosphodiesterase 5 (PDE5) inhibitor used in the management of erectile dysfunction (ED). This retrospective subgroup analysis assessed the effectiveness of vardenafil treatment in men with ED of different baseline severity and disease classification. Methods. Data from two pi votal, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trials enrolling men from the general ED population who received placebo or vardenafil 5 mg, 10 mg, or 20 mg during a 12-week treatment period were retrospectively analysed, stratifying by psychogenic, organic, and mixed ED disease classification as determined by the investigator. Efficacy endpoints included the International Index of Erectile Function (IIEF)-Erectile Function (EF) domain score, per-patient diary response rates to questions on penile insertion [Sexual Encounter Profile (SEP-2)] and maintenance of erection (SEP-3) and rates of positive response to the Global Assessment Question (GAQ). Results. Data from 1,385 men who received at least one dose of study medication and had pre-and post-baseline measures of efficacy available (intent-to-treat population) are presented. At baseline 37-41% of patients had severe ED, 30-34% moderate, 22% mild-to-moderate and 6-8% mild ED. At baseline, 46-51% of patients were considered to have an organic cause for ED, 13-16% psychogenic ED, and 36-38% mixed classification of ED. For all classifications and for mild-to-moderate to severe ED, men treated with 10 or 20 mg of vardenafil showed statistically and clinically significant improvements (P < 0.001) in IIEF-EF scores, diary response rates to the SEP-2 and SEP-3 questions, and GAQ as compared with those given placebo. The greatest improvements relative to placebo were noted in patients with more severe ED. The most common treatment-emergent adverse events were headache, flushing, rhinitis, dyspepsia, and were dose-related, mostly mild to moderate in intensity and consistent with the class. Conclusions. Vardenafil improv es EF in men with ED irrespective of investigator-determined classification and baseline ED severit

Transverse momentum spectra of charged particles in proton-proton collisions at 1as=900 GeV with ALICE at the LHC

The inclusive charged particle transverse momentum distribution is measured in proton-proton collisions at s=900 GeV at the LHC using the ALICE detector. The measurement is performed in the central pseudorapidity region (|\u3b7|<0.8) over the transverse momentum range 0.15<10 GeV/c. The correlation between transverse momentum and particle multiplicity is also studied. Results are presented for inelastic (INEL) and non-single-diffractive (NSD) events. The average transverse momentum for |\u3b7|<0.8 is \u3008pT\u3009INEL=0.483\ub10.001 (stat.)\ub10.007 (syst.) GeV/c and \u3008pT\u3009NSD=0.489\ub10.001 (stat.)\ub10.007 (syst.) GeV/c, respectively. The data exhibit a slightly larger \u3008pT\u3009 than measurements in wider pseudorapidity intervals. The results are compared to simulations with the Monte Carlo event generators PYTHIA and PHOJET. \ua9 2010